Device for stringing corn.



. R. HARDEN.

DEVICE FOR STRINGING CORN. APPLICATION FILED 1m. 29. 1914.

L1 {Y1 m Patemwi Apr. 13,1915.

I i'nvewlio'a R HARDEN.

DEVICE FOR STRINGING CORN. APPLICATION men JAN. 29. m4.

Patented A r; 13, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

R. HARDEN.

DEVICE FOR STRINGING CORN. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 29. 1914.

hl35fi9lm Pat nted Apr. 13, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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fHE NORRIS PETERS 60.. PHOTO-L. FHL- .VASH.NL am RAY HABDEN, 015 LANE,SOUTH DAKOTA.

DEVICE FOR STBINGING CQRN.

Application filed. January 29, 1914.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that T, RAY HARDEN, a citi- Zenof the United States, residing at Lane, in the county of J erauld andState of South Dakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Devices for Stringing Corn; and I do declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

This invention relates to improvements in machines for stringing seedcorn for the purpose of allowing the same to dry and the primary objectof the invention is to provide a device of this character having simplyconstructed means for performing its work through the action of a foottreadle.

A secondary object is to construct certain parts of the machine in sucha manner as to render the strands of twine upon which the corn is beingstrung adjustable toward or away from each other, according to thelength of the ears of corn.

With the above objects in View, the invention resides in certain novelfeatures of construction and combination herein de scribed and claimedand shown in the drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved machine showing its mannerof operation; Fig. 2 is an end view thereof; Fig. 3 is an enlarged endview of a portion thereof; Fig. l is a longitudinal section through theupper part of the machine; Fig. 5 is a transverse section on the line 55of Fig. 4-; Fig. 6 is a detail vertical section on the line 66 of Fig.3; Fig. 7 is a plan view of the forward end of the plunger; Fig. 8 is avertical section thereof on the line 88 of Fig. 7; Fig. 9 is an end Viewof the plunger; Fig. 10 is a side elevation partly in section of thetensioning arm; Fig. 11 is a top plan view thereof; Fig. 12 is a bottomview of said arm partly in section; Fig. 13 is a similar view showing adifferent position of parts; and Fig. 14: is a transverse section on theline 14-14 of Fig. 13.

in the embodiment illustrated, I have shown a supporting frame Fcomprising longitudinal base bars 1, front and rear cross bars 2 and 3connecting said longitudinal bars, front and rear standards 4i andrising respectlvely from the longitudinal,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 13, 1915.

Serial No. 815,240.

bars 1 and from the rear cross bar 3, the

front standards 4 being connected at their upper ends by a cross bar 6.

Rigidly secured to the cross bar 6 and to I the rear standard 5, is alongitudinally extending bar 7 which projects a suitable distance beyondsaid cross bar 6 and is provided with a laterally extending guide 8 inwhich is slidably mounted a pair of plates 9 carrying twine supportinghooks 10 for a purpose to appear. Front and rear yokes 11 and 12 dependfrom the longitudinal bar 7 and support a suitable guideway 13 in whichis slidably mounted a plunger 14:

which normally projects a suitable distance beyond the forward end ofthe bar 7 and is provided with a pair of slotted plates 15 and 15 whichcarry hooks 16 and 16, a

screw 17 passing through the slots in said plates and into the end ofthe plunger 14. The hooks 16 and 16 coact with the hooks 10 in a mannerto be hereinafter set forth.

The plunger 14 is normally held in projected position by means of a coilspring 18 which is secured at one end to the front yoke 11, its oppositeend being secured in an eye 19 which slides through a slot 20 in thelower side of the guideway 13. For retracting the plunger 14: at properintervals, 1 provide a flexible cable 21 which is connected to the rearend of said plunger, passes around a guide pulley 22 which is secured tothe rear standard 3, then extends forwardly over a similar pulley 23,depending from the cross bar 6 and is connected at 24 to a foot treadle25 which is hinged as at 26 to the forward end of one of thelongitudinal bars 1.

Hingedly connected as at 27 to the front cross bar 2 of the frame F is alongitudinally projecting arm 28 which is normally pulled downward by acoil spring 29 secured to said arm and to the bar 2. The arm 28 isprovided with front and rear yokes 30 and 31 in which a pair oflongitudlnally projecting fingers 32 is mounted to sllde. The outersides of the fingers 32 are normally held in contact with the front yoke30 and the rear ends of said fingers are held in contact with each otherby means of a U-shaped spring 33 which is slidable within said frontyoke, its free ends being bent outwardly and bearing against the innerSides of said fingers. The forward ends of the fingers 32 are providedwith outwardly extending hooks 3A around which and the hooks 10, 16 and16, passes a loop of twine 35 formed by uniting the opposite ends ofsaid twine. The loop 35 is disposed upon the various hooks in such amanner as to provide a substantially V-shaped loop on each side of themachine.

I preferably, though not necessarily, provide a twine box 36 which issecured in any suitable manner to a suitable part of the frame F, thetwine passing from said box being laid through suitable guides 37, theforward one of'which is disposed in close proximity to the other end ofthe longitudinal bar 7, a suitable knife 38 being provided near saidguide for the purpose of cutting the twine when necessary.

I have described my invention as employing a supporting frame, but itwill be evident that any other suitable form of support might beemployed for the guideway 13 and the uppermost parts of the machine.

By the specific mounting of the arm 28 and the fingers 32, the tensionof the spring 29, normally pulling down on said arm, will exert a properamount of tension upon the various strands of the loop 35 thus retainingsaid strands always in proper position.

The operation of the device is as follows: With the parts in normalposition and with the loop 35 applied in the manner above described, anear of corn E may be placed between the various strands of said loop andallowed to rest upon the upper faces of the hooks 34. After thisoperation, the foot treadle 25 is depressed. This will, through theaction of the cable 21, retract the plunger 14 which will carry with itthe strands of the loop 35 which formerly stood toward the front of themachine. This operation will in other Words, cross the pairs of strandson each side of the machine whereupon a second ear may be placed overthe first mentioned ear and the foot treadle released thus allowing thespring 18 to again project the plunger 15. The above operation may becontinued successively until the proper number of ears have been strungup whereupon, the loop 35 may be removed from the various hooks and hungin any suitable place to allow the corn to dry.

From the construction and mounting of the arm 28 and the fingers 32, itwill be readily seen that by forcing said fingers inwardly or outwardly,the distance between the hooks, at the ends thereof, may be varied. Itwill also be noted that the hooks 10, 16 and 16 may be adjusted towardor away from each other. These provisions are made in order to readilyadapt the machine to stringing ears of different lengths, it beingunderstood that when long ears are being strung, the various hooks arespaced considerable distances apart thus bringing the various strands oftwine, on the opposite sides of the machine, to suitable points inrespect to the ends of said ears.

Any suitable means may be employed for fastening the plates 9 and theirhooks 10 in adjusted position, but I preferably provide thumb screws 39which pass through said plates and bear against the guide plate 8. Thescrew 17 is also preferably in the form of a thumb screw thus renderingthe parts readily adjustable without the necessity of employing anytools whatever.

Although I have described my invention with considerable minuteness, Ido not wish to be limited to details of construction other than thoseamplified in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is l. A seed corn stringer comprising arelatively fixed supporting member having a pair of twine supportinghooks adjustable one toward the other, and a relatively movablesupporting member likewise having a pair of twine supporting hooksadjustable one toward the other.

2. A seed corn stringer comprising a relatively fixed support, arelatively movable support, guides carried by said fixed and movablesupports, plates slidable in said guides and having twine supportinghooks, and means whereby said plates may be locked against movement insaid guides.

3. A seed corn stringer comprising mechanism for supporting a pluralityof strands of twine in variable spaced relation and for intermittentlycrossing said strands, a number of downwardly pressed fingers engagedwith said strands below said supporting mechanism said fingers beingmounted for variable spaced relation, and means for retaining them inadjusted position.

4. A seed corn stringer comprising mechanism for supporting a pluralityof strands of twine in variable spaced relation and for intermittentlycrossing said strands, a munber of downwardly pressed fingers engagedwith said strands below said supporting mechanism, said fingers beingmounted for variable spaced relation, means for retaining them inadjusted position, a support below said twine supporting and crossingmechanism, a guide on said support, a pair of twine engaging fingersmounted in said guide and projecting forwardly and rearwardly therefromand a spring for holding said fingers in contact with the sides of saidguide and for retaining said fingers in "a; riable spaced relation.

5. A seed corn stringer comprising mechanism for supporting a pluralityof strands of twine in variable spaced relation and for intermittentlycrossing said strands, a number of downwardly pressed fingers engagedwith said strands below said supporting mechanism, said fingers beingmounted for variable spaced relation, means for retaining said finger inadjusted position, a support below said twine supporting and crossingmechanism, a yoke on said support, a pair of twine engaging fingersmounted in said yoke and projecting forwardly and rearwardly therefromand a spring for normally holding the rear ends of said fingers incontact with each other and for holding said fingers in contact with thesides of said yoke.

6. A seed corn stringer comprising a substantially horizontal guidehaving a pair of twine supporting hooks adjustable toward and away fromeach other, a plunger slidable within said guide and having twinesupporting hooks on one end adjustable toward and away from each other,means for reciprocating said plunger and a set of twine tensioning hooksbelow said plunger and adjustable toward and away from each other, forthe purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

RAY HARDEN. Witnesses:

CHAs. R. HATCH, E. E. DYKEMAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G.

